Chartreuse Day And Where to Celebrate

Chartreuse Day is on May 16 – a date chosen in honor of the year (1605 … 16.05 … 05/16). The liqueur was originally given to Chartreuse monks but now God has bestowed this lively libation on us laypeople also. The beverage teams at Watchman’s Seafood and Spirits (Atlanta), Grey Ghost (Detroit), La Petite Grocery (New Orleans), Justine (New Orleans), and The Grocery (Charleston) are highlighting this colorful liqueur on their current menus, just in time to celebrate the day on Thursday.

Watchman’s Seafood and Spirits

Inspiration: As the number one Chartreuse account in the state of Georgia, Watchman’s knows a thing or two about Chartreuse. With a Chartreuse machine that chills and dispenses $5 ice-cold shots of the colorful libation, there’s nowhere better to celebrate.

Take the blanched and shocked herbs and puree in a Vitamix. Start slow and go to the highest setting. puree on high for 1 minute.

Strain through chinois, pushing through with a spatula to push all liquid out of pureed herbs.

Weigh final liquid and add equal parts white sugar by weight back to the Vitamix and puree together until sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Grey Ghost

Beverage Director: Will Lee

Location: Detroit, MI

Drink: Man on the Moon

Inspiration: Pineapple with Yellow Chartreuse and Sesame makes this cocktail bright and savory

Recipe:

1.5 oz. Jack Daniels Rye

0.375 oz. Yellow Chartreuse

1.0 oz. Pineapple juice

0.75 oz. Toasted sesame syrup

0.75 oz. Lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Method: Shake. Serve on the rocks. Garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice.

La Petite Grocery

Beverage Director: Jesse Carr

Location: New Orleans, LA

Drink: Read’s Secret

Inspiration: Read’s Secret is an herb-centric take on a tiki-style cocktail named for a notable female pirate, Mary Read. Jesse was inspired by her story (Mary pretended to be a man, and even went by the name Mark for many years to fit in with other pirates) and crafted a drink that reflected the flavors of the islands, like coconut and mint, combined with bold and herbaceous Chartreuse.

Recipe:

1oz Hat Trick

.5oz Green Chartreuse

.5oz Acqua di cedro

.5oz Lemon

.75oz Coconut

.75oz Pineapple

.25oz Simple

Pinch mint

1 turn pepper mill

Method: Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a mint bouquet.

Justine

Beverage Director: Jesse Carr

Location: New Orleans, LA

Drink: Silent Fizz

Inspiration: When speaking about the Silent Fizz, Jesse mentions that the drink itself is “shrouded in secrecy, and silent monks inspired the name.” He says, “The flavor was a course of many failed attempts, but finally one great success.”

Recipe:

.75 oz Green Chartreuse

.75 oz Yellow Chartreuse

.5 oz Gin

.75 oz Lemon Juice

.25 oz Orange

.5 oz Lemon Saffron Syrup

1 Egg White

Method: Double Shake/ Rocks glass no ice/ rinse tin with soda and top drink/ garnish with drop of Peychauds

The Grocery

Beverage Director: Sean O’Brien

Location: Charleston, SC

Drink: Diablo Verde

Inspiration: “In its basic nature, the Diablo Verde is a herbal and spicy margarita, but has much more depth. The herbaceous notes of the Chartreuse play very well with the earthy and slightly smoky notes of the Ancho Reyes, which combined with the floral and slightly caramelized agave flavor of the tequila produces something much more than the sum of its parts. Especially with the little pop of pure spice from the jalapeño tincture.”